https://doi.org/10.4081/itjm.2023.1623

Burnout and quality of life among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2023)
Published: 22 August 2023
Healthcare professionals during COVID-19, KSA
Abstract Views: 1008
PDF: 382
HTML: 75
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Mohamed Salih Mahfouz
mm.mahfouz@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3155-6381
Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmad Y. Alqassim
Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah A. Alharbi
Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulelah A. Najmi
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed M. Abualgasem
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Albaraa Y. Abbas
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Mazin A. Sabi
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulaziz A. Kaal
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Huda H. Hakami
Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed A. Muaddi
Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.
Rashad Al-Sanosi
Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Saudi Arabia.

Background and Objectives. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have had to deal with large numbers of confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 and were at a high risk of burnout and dissatisfaction regarding their work-life integration. This article aims to assess burnout, the work-life balance (WLB), and quality of life (QoL) among healthcare workers and the relationship between these aspects in Saudi Arabia. Methods. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 491 HCPs from five secondary hospitals in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Three standardized questionnaires were used to gather data, including WLB, burnout, and the WHO Quality of Life-BREF. Results. Healthcare professionals struggled to balance their work and personal lives during COVID-19 and reported many burnout symptoms and a low level of QoL. Two-thirds (68.8%) of HCPs arrived home late from work and (56.6%) skipped a meal. HCPs who worked through a shift without any breaks were found in 57.8%. It was reported that 39.3% of HCPs felt frustrated by technology while being exhausted from their work (60.5%). The correlation coefficients between the WLB and health-related QoL (HRQoL) showed a significant negative correlation for all items, which ranged from (-.099 to -.403, P<0.05). The WLB and burnout scores were successful predictors of low levels of HRQoL (P<0.001 for both explanatory variables). Conclusions. Work-life imbalances, high levels of burnout, and low QoL levels are common among healthcare professionals in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19. Hospital administration should address the WLB and reduce burnout symptoms among HCPs to increase satisfaction and improve the quality of care.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

PlumX Metrics

PlumX Metrics  provide insights into the ways people interact with individual pieces of research output (articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and many more) in the online environment. Examples include, when research is mentioned in the news or is tweeted about. Collectively known as PlumX Metrics, these metrics are divided into five categories to help make sense of the huge amounts of data involved and to enable analysis by comparing like with like.

Citations

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Lai J, Ma S, Wang Y, et al. Factors associated with mental health outcomes among health care workers exposed to Coronavirus disease 2019. JAMA Netw Open 2020;3:e203976. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3976
Du J, Dong L, Wang T, et al. Psychological symptoms among frontline healthcare workers during COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan. Gen Hosp Psychiatr 2020;67:144-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2020.03.011
Chew NWS, Lee GKH, Tan BYQ, et al. A multinational, multicentre study on the psychological outcomes and associated physical symptoms amongst healthcare workers during COVID-19 outbreak. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 88:559-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.049
Tan BYQ, Chew NWS, Lee GKH, et al. Psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers in Singapore. Ann Intern Med 2020;173:317-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-1083
Greenhaus JH, Collins KM, Shaw JD. The relation between work-family balance and quality of life. J Vocat Behav 2003;63:510-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(02)00042-8
Sirgy MJ, Lee DJ. Work-life balance: An integrative review. Appl Res Qual Life 2018;13:229-54.
Goodman A. Work-life balance. Physicians’ Pathways to Non-Traditional Careers Leadersh Oppor 2012;9781461405:25-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0551-1_4
Tugsal T. Work-life balance and social support as predictors of burnout: An exploratory analysis. Int J Acad Res Bus Soc Sci 2017;7:117-38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i3/2699
Schaufeli WBGE. Introduction to special issue on burnout and health. Psychol Health 2001;16:501-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440108405523
Askari R, Rafiei S, Akbari R, et al. The relationship between work-life balance and quality of life among hospital employees. Int J Healthc Manag 2019;0:1-5.
WHOQOL - Measuring Quality of Life | The World Health Organization.
Aly HM, Nemr NA, Kishk RM, et al Stress, anxiety and depression among healthcare workers facing COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt: a cross-sectional online-based study BMJ Open 2021;11:e045281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045281
Altwaijri Y, Bilal L, Almeharish A, et al. Psychological distress reported by healthcare workers in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study. PloS One 2022;17:e0268976. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0268976
Temsah MH, Al-Sohime F, Alamro N, et al. The psychological impact of COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers in a MERS-CoV endemic country. J Infect Pub Health 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiph.2020.05.021
Shanafelt TD, Boone S, Tan L, et al. Burnout and satisfaction with work-life balance among US physicians relative to the general US population. Arch Intern Med 2012;172:1377-85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/archinternmed.2012.3199
Shanafelt TD, West CP, Sinsky C, et al. Changes in burnout and satisfaction with work-life integration in physicians and the general US working population between 2011 and 2017. Mayo Clin Proc 2019;94:1681-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.10.023
West CP, Huschka MM, Novotny PJ, et al. Association of perceived medical errors with resident distress and empathy: A prospective longitudinal study. J Am Med Assoc 2006;296:1071-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.296.9.1071
Kamali M, Azizi M, Moosazadeh M, et al. Occupational burnout in Iranian health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Psychiatr 2022;22:1-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-022-04014-x
Khatatbeh H, Al-Dwaikat T, Rababah J, et al. Paediatric nurses' burnout, quality of life and perceived patient adverse events during the COVID-19 pandemic: Testing an integrated model using structural equation modelling. J Clin Nurs 2021. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.16114
Kannampallil TG, Goss CW, Evanoff BA, et al. Exposure to COVID-19 patients increases physician trainee stress and burnout. Plos One 2020;15:e0237301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237301
Al-Haddad A, Al-Omar F, Al-Khaleel A, Al-Khalaf A. Prevalence of burnout syndrome and its related risk factors among physicians working in primary health care centers of the Ministry of Health, Al Ahsa region, Saudi Arabia, 2018-2019. J Fam Med Prim Care 2020;9:571-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_743_19
Almubark R, Almaleh Y, BinDhim N, et al. Monitoring burnout in the intensive care unit and emergency. Middle East J Nurs 2020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5742/MEJN2020.93790
Albassam AA, Shahid Iqbal M, Ruhal Ain M, et al. A cross-sectional assessment of health-related quality of life among healthcare providers in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia. Trop J Pharm Res 2020;19:2171-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v19i10.22
Sexton JB, Schwartz SP, Chadwick WA, et al. The associations between work-life balance behaviours, teamwork climate and safety climate: Cross-sectional survey introducing the work-life climate scale, psychometric properties, benchmarking data and future directions. BMJ Qual Saf 2017;26:632-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2016-006032
Profit J, Sharek PJ, Amspoker AB, et al. Burnout in the NICU setting and its relation to safety culture. BMJ Qual Saf 2014;23:806-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2014-002831
Dewa CS, Loong D, Bonato S, Trojanowski L. The relationship between physician burnout and quality of healthcare in terms of safety and acceptability: A systematic review. BMJ Open 2017;7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015141
Introduction, Administration, Scoring And Generic Version Of The Assessment Field Trial Version December 1996 Programme On Mental Health World Health Organization. 1996.
Ohaeri JU, Awadalla AW. The reliability and validity of the short version of the WHO Quality of Life Instrument in an Arab general population. Ann Saudi Med 2009;29:98-104. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0256-4947.51790
Gragnano A, Simbula S, Miglioretti M. Work-life balance: Weighing the importance of work–family and work–health balance. Int J Environ Res Pub Health 2020;17:907. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030907
The COVID-19 crisis too few are talking about: Healthcare workers’ mental health (2020). Available from: https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/03/the-covid-19-crisis-too-few-are-talking-about-health-care-workers-mental-health/ (accessed 20 May 2022).
Sirgy MJ, Lee DJ. Work-life balance: An integrative review. Appl Res Qual Life 2018;13:229-54. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-017-9509-8
Tam CWC, Pang PFP, Lam LCW, Chiu HFK. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong in 2003: Stress and psychological impact among frontline healthcare workers. Psychol Med. 2004; 34:1197-204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291704002247
Chan AO, Huak CY. Psychological impact of the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak on health care workers in a medium size regional general hospital in Singapore. Occup Med 2004;54:190-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqh027
Almulhem JA, Aldekhyyel RN, Binkheder S, et al. Stress and burnout related to electronic health record use among healthcare providers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: A preliminary national randomized survey. Healthcare 2021;9:1367. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9101367
Lasalvia A, Amaddeo F, Porru S, et al. Levels of burnout among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and their associated factors: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital of a highly burdened area of northeast Italy. BMJ Open 2021;11:e045127. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045127
Islam A, Naqvi A, Al Qarni A, et al. Assessment of quality of work life (QWL) among healthcare staff of intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency unit during COVID-19 outbreak using WHOQoL-BREF. Saudi Pharm J: the Official Publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society 2021.
Suryavanshi N, Kadam A, Dhumal G, et al. Mental health and quality of life among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Brain and Behavior 2020;10:e01837. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.1837
Humphries N, McDermott AM, Creese J, et al. Hospital doctors in Ireland and the struggle for work-life balance. Eur J Pub Health 2020;30:iv32-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckaa130
Alharbi MF, Alahmadi BA, Alali M, Alsaedi S, 2019. Quality of nursing work life among hospital nurses in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study. J Nurs Manag 27:1722-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12863

How to Cite

Mahfouz, M. S., Alqassim, A. Y., Alharbi, A. A., Najmi, A. A., Abualgasem, M. M., Abbas, A. Y., Sabi, M. A., Kaal, A. A., Hakami, H. H., Muaddi, M. A., & Al-Sanosi, R. (2023). Burnout and quality of life among healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Italian Journal of Medicine, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/itjm.2023.1623
Copyright (c) 2023 the Author(s) Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

PAGEPress has chosen to apply the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) to all manuscripts to be published.